Speeder.



' PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

w. T. SEARS.

SPEEDBR APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1906.

W o Inv en torl Witnesses Attorney s shaft will,

UNITED STATES arana wrLLARn THOMAS SEARS, or" PHELADELPHIA, Pennsylvania Assesses TO NILE S-BEMENT-POND COMPANY, OF I: tear. cars, new JERSEY.

' SPEEEEW.

' F Specification of Letters latent.

FPat-entecl Else. 1 1, it 9G6.

Application filed April laieoe. Serial 1%. 311,866.

To all it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD THonAs SEARs, a citizen of the United States, residing I Figure I is. a front elevation of a speeder exemplifiying-my invention, a portion of the front we 1 being broken away to expose intec nor mechanism; Ii .2, an end elevation of the same Fig.3, a p an of the same'with the cover of the casing removed; Fig; 4, a vertical transverse section of the apparatus; Figifi, a

plan of the gear-shifter, a portion of its lever appearing in horizontal section; and Fig. 6, a diagrammatic plan of the apparatus;

-.In the drawings, 1 indicates-the drivingshaft; 2, the driven shaft; 13, 4, 5, and 6 dissimilar-sized gears fast on the driven shaft 7 2 5 'a' pinion splined on thefdriving-shait and en? gageablewithgear 3; 8, a gear fast with this pinion and e ageable with ear 4, gears 7 and 8 sliding to et eru pon the living-shaft; 9,11 gear spline on the driving-shaft and engageable with gear 5 10, a gear: fast with gear 9' and engageable with gear 6, gears -9 and 10 sliding together as a pair; 1 1, a, spring-detent in the driving-shaft to ,eldingly hold the pair of gears 7 and 8 in id e position out of en gagementwith the mating gears S and 4, the pair of gears 9 and 10 having a similardetgnt; 12', a clutchpulley loose on the driving-shaft, this. clutch-pulley beinglof most any ordinary on suitable t e; 13, 't e sliding member on 0 thiiriving-s aft for'actilating the clutching mechanism; the illustrated construction assunning that this part slides toward the pulley in order to effect the cli'itchi'n and from the, pulley to eflect the release oft e clutch 14, .a splined rock-shaft disposed parallel with the.

other shafts; 15, a cam fast on this rockshaft; 16, a lever connecting, this cam'with sliding member 13 of the clutch in such man- -tner that a given angular motion of the rockring about the clutching or unclutching of the driving-pulley; 17, a earshifter 'splined upon-the rock-shaft and lavthe gear-shifter by a pivot at right angles to the axis of the rock-shaft, so that While the shifter and the lever must roclr as a unit upon the ands of the roclbshaft the hand-lever is capable of angular motion in a plane parallel with the roclesha'r't; 19, a spring carried by the gear-shifter and engaging the lever and serving to hold it in normal position, while v permitting it to be flexed in either direction from that position; 20, a fence fixed parallel with the rock-shaft and in position to have an arm of the gednshifter engage front of it, the fence reventing the rearward movement of the sl ter; 21, a notch or gate inthe fence in position to permit the eanshifter to pass to the rear of the fence when the shifter is in 7 such longitudinal position as to engage double gear 7 8 when the latteris in idle posi tion; 22, a second gate in the fence, similarly. related to double ear e 10; 23, an escutcheon-- late fixed at t e front of the apparatus, hen -lever 13 projecting outwardly through slot-Workin this plate; Ede a horizontal slot in the plate alon in which the shiiter'handle may travel whi e moving from one pair of sliding gears to the other; 25, a vertical slot in the late in which the shifter-lever ma move ownward when longitudinal position corresponding with the engagement of gears? and 3; 26, a similar slot corresponding with the engagement of gears 55 and 4; 27, a 8 similar slot corresponding with the engagement'oi gears 9 and; 5 5 28, a similar slot corresponding with the engagement of gears 10" and 6; 29, thegeneral casnigof the appara tile; 30, horizontal slotsconnecting thepre o viously-mentioned vertical slots in pairs, and 31 vertical siots connecting ends of slot .24 with mid-portions of slots 30.

under whic 1 condition the shifter-arms will 5 .be not onl free of engagement with any gear, butwill be in front of the fence, so that they could not be put into engagement with.

a gear. When the shifter is in this'condition, both pairs of'sliding gears are in the too neutral disengaged position, and the clutch'is disengaged. Now let it be assumed that it is desired to engage gear 7 with gear 3 toget the lowest selective speed of the system. The shifterbeing already in slot 2 1 is to be io5 'Inoved to its leftward extremity. This lng a pair-of arms adapted to straddle either .brings the gatecontr'clled arm of the geargear 8 orvgear 10; 18, a hand-lever united. to

shifter opposite gate 21 in the fence and brings, the hand-lever to slot 31. The hand lever may now be ward slot 31, the result being that the arms of the ear-shifter engage gear 8. During this rociing motion of the shifter cam 15 has been oscillated, but through a concentric portion only, therefore not affecting the clutch. The hand-lever is now'to be shifted to the leftward extremity of the left slot 30, which results in sliding the gear 7 into engagement with gear 3. The handle may now be depressed in slot 25, the result being the further rocking of thecam and the en agement of the clutch, whereupon the living-shaft takes on rotation which becomes transmitted to the driven shaft at speed according to the proportion'o'f the selected gears.

The action of the device is similar when adjusting for any other selected speed, and the reverse of the described operation brings about the disengagement of the clutch, the disengagement of any and all gearing, and the disposition of the shifter-arms in front of the fence. a

The exemplification illustrates the shifter arranged for engagement with two selective gears and those cars arranged and provided or bringing about four selective speeds; but

it is manifest that-the system is capable of almost unlimited extension.

S-yrlng-detents 11 serve in retaining the sliding gears in neutral idle position, so that the gear-shifter will find them when it passes through the gates in the fence. It isto be observed that engagement and disengagement of gears can be effected only when the clutch is'disengaged and the drivingshaft at rest. It might well-happen that when an attempt is made to slide a gear into engagement with its mate the angular eonditions are such that the teeth abut instead of entering. In such case the hand-lever instead of being positively arrested by the abutting teeth. may swing forward against the resistance of sprin 19, the gear-shifter being thus put under e astic forwardly-movin strain. I Then by a slight turning of eit ier of the gear-shafts the teeth to engage may be brought into proper relationship and the spring will cause them to snap into ongagement, or, if desired, the hand-lower may e flexed ahead far enough to come to a ver tical slot, permitting it to be rocked so as to throw the clutch. into engagement and start up the driving-shaft, whereupon the spring will cause the gear to instantly slide into,en gagement with its mate. The difficulty-of always getting prompt and proper engagement of sliding toothed members, such as gears and toothed clutches, has long been recognized, together with the resulting evils of loss of time in securing any satisfactory engagement at all and the breakage and wearing of the tooth-corners. In my construction Imtroduce a spring between the depressed through leftpart to be shifted and the operators hand, which applies the power to accomplishthe shifting. At the same time ample provision is made for safeguarding the structure.

I claim I 1. A Speeder comprising a shaft, a toothed member splined thereon, a rocking and sliding shifter having an arm to engage said toothed member, a clutch upon said shaft, and mechanism connecting the shifter and clutch, combined substantially as set forth.

2. -A Speeder comprising a shaft, a toothed member splined thereon, a sliding shifter en gageable with and disengageable fronisaid' toothed member, and a spring-detent engage ing the shaft and toothed member and adapt ed to retain the latter in a given position-Wham the shifter is disengaged from it, combined substantially as set forth.

3. A s eeder comprising a shaft, a clutch on said s aft, a toothed member splined on the shaft, a rock-shaft parallel with said shaft, a cam on said rock-shaft, mechanism connecting said cam and rock-shaft, and a shifter mounted to slide on and rock with said rock-shaft and having an arm to engage said toothed member, combined substantially as set forth.

4. A speeder comprising a shaft, 2. toothed member splined thereon, a rocking and sliding shifter having an arm engageable with and disengageable from said toothed member, and a fence disposed in the path, of rocking motion of said arm and serving to prevent the disengagement of the arm from the toothed member and having agate to permit the passage of the arm, combined substantially as set forth. I i i 5. A speeder comprising a shaft, a plurality of toothed members inde endently splined. thereon, a rock-shaft, an a shifter mounted 0 rock with and slide on said rockshaft and having an arm adapted to be engaged Witu and disengaged from said toothed members selectively, combined substantially as set forth.

6. A speeder comprising 'a shaft, a toothed member splined thereon, a rocking and sliding shifter having an arm to engage said toothed member, a clutch upon said shaft, a

late having slots through which a portion oi the shifter projects. said slots being. so arranged relative. to each other that when the shifter may slide it is prevented from rocking and when rocking it is prevented from sliding, and mechanism connecting the shifter and clutch, combined substantially as set forth.

7. A speeder comprising 'a shaft, a plu-. rality of toothed members s lined thereon, a rocking and sliding shifter aving an arm to engage said toothed members, a clutch u )on said shaft, a plate having slots throughw ich a portion ofthe shifter projects, said slots being so'arranged relative to each other that when the shifterfmay slide it is pre- ICC vented from rocking and when rocking it is prevented from sliding, and mechanism connecting the shifter and clutch, combined substantially as set'forth.

8. A speeder'comprising a shaft, a toothed member splined thereon,'-,a sliding shifter having an arm engaging said toothed member, a hand-lever attached to and movable relative to said shifter, and a spring inter posed between said hand-lever and shifter and serving to permit the hand.lever to yield,-

' ingly advance when the sliding motion of the member splined thereon, a clutch on the said I rock-shaft and vsplined on and rocking shifter is arrested, combined substantially as set forth.- i

9.' A speeder comprising a shaft, a toothed shaft, a rock-shaft, connections between the rock-shaft and the clutch whereby the rocking of the shaft en ages and disengages the clutch, a shifter ,Sll ing on and rocking with engageable with said toothed member, a hand I with said shifter, and a plate having slots controlling the sliding and rocking motion of the hand-lever, combined substantially as set 'forth.

v advancing motion of t 1e shifter is arrested,

and a plate vengaged-by the hand-lever and controlling its rocking and sliding motions, combined substantiallyas set fort 1 1. A Speeder comprising a shaft, a clutch thereon, a lurality of toothed members splined on t 1e shaft, a rock-shaft, mechanism connecting the rock-shaft and clutch whereby its rocking engages and disengages the clutch, a shifter spline/d on and rocking with said shaft and engageable with and disengageable from said toothed member selectively, a hand-lever pivoted to the shifter, a

sliding motions, combine set forth.v 1

12. A speeder comprising a shaft, a clutch thereon, a plurality of toothed splined on the shaft, a rock ism connecting the rockwhereby its rocking engag the clutch, a shifter spline with said shaft and enga' eable with and dis' engageable from said toot 18d members ively, a hand-lever pivoted to the shi spring interposed spring interposed A between the lever and its rockin and su-bstantia 1y as members shaft, 'mecham shaft and clutch es and disengages d on and rocking selectfter, a I between the lever and shifter to permit the lever to yieldingly advance when the advancing motion of the sinfter is arrested, a late en hand-lever and controlling it ever connected gaged by the smoking and sliding motions, and detents engaging the the gears splined thereon and serving to retain said gears 'in first-mentioned shaft and given position when the shifter is disengaged substantially as set from them,

combined forth.

13'." A Speeder comprising a shaft, a clutch thereon, a toothed member splined on the shaft, a rocking and sliding shifter for said gear, mechanism intermediate the shifter and clutch whereby the rocking of the shifter engages and disengages the clutch, a handle movably connected with the shift interposed between the handle an permit the handle to er, a spring d shifter to yieldingly advance when the sliding motion of the shifter is arrested, and a plate having slots on ed that whenthe handle may rock it is prevented from sliding and when it may slide itis prevented from rocking, combined substantially as set forth.

WILLARD THOMAS SEARS.

itnesses:

ARCHIBALD M. OB SAMUEL O. KANE.

RUIN,-

' shifter is arrested, and a plate engaged-by the hand-lever and controlling 

